Rathenau urges more proactive use of precautionary principle

Dutch institute wants information on risk and uncertainty included in all funding applications

The use of the precautionary principle, which influences how information is passed between scientists and policymakers in the EU, needs an urgent overhaul, according to the Rathenau Institute.

On 17 October, the science policy think tank shared the findings from a four-year research project on the use of the precautionary principle within EU institutions and member states. It said that the way the principle was being applied left society open to considerable risk, as many emerging problems with technology were being missed.